Two-dimensional Ekman-inertial instability: A comparison with inertial instability

The upper ocean is home to several hydrodynamic instabilities which are known to generate strong vertical flows crucial for the transport of physical and biochemical properties. Here we study the two-dimensional Ekman-Inertial Instability (EII), the analytical description of which is currently limited to one dimension, and compare its effects with those of Inertial Instability (InI). We found that EII grows significantly faster and creates stronger vertical flows than InI. Moreover, we explore the sensitivity of its growth rate to variations in the Rossby number of the initial flow. We found that EII and InI radiate near-inertial waves that propagate in regions of anticyclonic vorticity.